On the evening of Thursday April 13, Ralph Yarl was heading to pick up his little brothers from a friend’s house. The 16-Year-old mistakenly went to the wrong house which was located on N.E 115th street, instead of the actual house which was located on N.E. 115th Terrace. Upon reaching the house, Yarl rang the doorbell and was met by the homeowner who then proceeded to shoot him twice. Yarl ran to neighboring houses for help but only managed to get help after going to three different houses according to his aunt, Faith Spoonmore.
Ralph Yarl is a Junior in high school whose biggest passion is Music. He’s a member of his school’s Technology Student Association and is also involved in the Marching Band as one of its section leaders.
“Yarl suffered life-threatening injuries but is recovering in a local hospital,” Spoonmore said, adding that he “has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally.”
The shooter, who has not yet been identified was taken into custody by the Kansas City police but was released after 24 hours. This incident sparked a protest in Kansas City on April 16 where the incident also caught the attention of some celebrities such as model Naomi Campbell and actress Halle Berry.
Now, National Leaders and the Kansas City Community are crying out for action to be taken in the aftermath of this horrific incident.
“If this case involving Ralph Yarl is considered a justified shooting, let’s begin the process to end political canvassing,” said Rev. Darron Edwards, a community activist and pastor of the United Believers Community Church in Kansas City.
Community members and local leaders such as church pastors are calling for the shooter to be charged, stating that if a person now has to be worried about getting shot for ringing the wrong doorbell, that is very concerning.
Kansas City’s Mayor, Quinton Lucas took to twitter to express his anger and heartbreak to the incident, stating that this never should’ve happened.
“I expect authorities to soon complete a thorough investigation and present a full case file to prosecutors.” Said Lucas.
Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump, who is famous for working with other families in high profile cases such as Breonna Taylor and George Floyd; announced he would be representing the family of Ralph Yarl.
“You can’t just shoot people without having justification when somebody comes knocking on your door and knocking on your door is not justification. This guy should be charged,” said Crump.
For those wanting to help aid in the cause, Yarl’s Aunt has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover his medical expenses, the page is located here.
